What good is the thesis?

I sent out an email to a few of alums of the UArts MFA program to get a sense of what they got out of doing the thesis exhibit and writing, and I wanted to share the responses I got with you:

Like many artists, writing about anyone's art, let alone your own, is a chore and a very daunting task. But I have to say, once I figured out my approach and structure of my thesis, it just came pouring out and I ended up writing the best piece of text that I have ever done.  As cheesy as it sounds, writing my thesis has given me the confidence to go on to write more decent papers and not have that overbearing feeling that I need to struggle through another tedious assignment

Lee S. Millard, Painting, 2005

Writing your thesis establishes your work in a context that can not be accomplished in any other way.  If you want to continue to stumble around aesthetically blind in the art world then don't write a word (and never read).  But, when you are ready to turn your flirtation with art into a profession, using text will lead to vision" 

Denise Vandeville, Ceramics, 2006

I would say there are two main aspects of writing my thesis that I've found to be most valuable.  The first is perhaps more obvious and involves the role of thesis writing in helping me to research and articulate my own ideas about my artwork, both for personal and professional benefit.  On a personal level, my studio practice is still grounded in regular research and reading -- it helps flesh out my ideas and often sparks new pieces.  Professionally, I continue to rely on topics from my thesis as the foundation for exhibition proposals and artist statements, as well as for artist talks at shows.  Frequently, so much of the creative process is internal and introspective, but in submitting proposals for shows or grants, you HAVE to be able to communicate about your work.  So the thesis writing process, with its research, drafts, revisions, conversations with professors, presentation to the committee, etc., requires you to think through how other people will receive your ideas and provides a foundation for you to talk intelligently about your own artwork. 

Second, for me a major challenge in my thesis writing was crafting a document that in itself reflected my artistic process as completely as possible. I didn't think that a standard research paper had anything to do with the way that I approach art-making, so I looked for ways I could work within the structure of writing to make the writing feel like my artwork.  Not just the words, but the style and format and flow of the content.  It became an artistic process in its own right, and I think ended up being very good representation of my concepts and processes.  So part of the value of writing a thesis in art school is also to be able to push the boundaries of what it means to write about artwork in the first place. 

Melinda Steffy, Painting, 2006

While preparing my thesis paper, my home/studio became  station X. The paper was project Ultra. I felt like a WWII  code-breaker. Somewhere, in the imposing heaps of data I accumulated was a logical system to my making. (Seriously, every chair, corner and table in my house was stacked high with xeroxes, books, drawings, maquettes and every note I took during my undergrad thesis. The fridge doors were completely obscured.)

I became a version of "Mrs BB." She was the woman who managed to work out how the Enigma machine worked long before anyone else did, however her theory was far too simplistic and was dismissed entirely. One of The Women of Blechley Park. Ralph Erskine reports it like this: “Mrs. BB suggested the Germans wired the A key to the A rotor, B to B and so on through the alphabet -- a theory dismissed as too simplistic, but one that proved correct.” 

I discovered I wanted everyone in my mix to be allies. So, I had a huge summit meeting and began connecting wires. I  arranged a flow chart of couples and imaginary families of my influences. In the end, the thesis paper became a nifty decoder ring that helps me figure out how I assimilate information. It is sort of a Frankenstein potion that helps me combine seemingly disparate information and process it into words and images.

This here Tom Waits interview with Mike Douglas sums it up!

Terri Saulin, Ceramics, 2006

I'll post more of these as they come in. In the mean time, I urge you to go through a few of the stronger examples of recent thesis papers that are on file in the Graduate Resource room or the library. The faculty will post a recommended list later this week.